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karzai lacks legitimacy, and he's unpopular in this country. so this really will depend on achieving security, which i think is achievable, good governance, which is a big question mark, and of course, with good governance comes, you know, with our own money investment for jobs, jobs, jobs. without jobs, jobs, jobs afghanistan will not be a positive scenario in the future. but saying that, i must conclude by pointing out that this is not going to affect our domestic national security. as we see with the last three plots the underwear bomber came from yemen -- well, was helped in yemen. came from nigeria and london. the attack on the danish cartoonist came from somalia. and major hasan came from washington, d.c. thank you very much. [applauding] [inaudible conversations] >> peter has to leave at 11:00, so he should take the first few questions. there is a microphone in the back of the room for anyone who would like to ask a question. [inaudible conversations] >> my name is mustafa malik. i work some 30 years as a journalist in the united states.
karzai lacks legitimacy, and he's unpopular in this country. so this really will depend on achieving security, which i think is achievable, good governance, which is a big question mark, and of course, with good governance comes, you know, with our own money investment for jobs, jobs, jobs. without jobs, jobs, jobs afghanistan will not be a positive scenario in the future. but saying that, i must conclude by pointing out that this is not going to affect our domestic national security. as we see...
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and disappointing way 400 karzai. -- disappointing for karzai. his 17 rejected included a controversial former warlord who fought against the taliban. president carter signed wanted him to continue as energy minister. -- president karzai what did him to continue. he pledged to place more women in government posts in a male- dominated society. the nominations for justice, commerce, and communication also failed. among the successful reappointment or the interior minister and defense minister, but no one has been nominated to fill the post of foreign minister. it will not be decided until a conference on afghanistan takes place this month. the president said he will make some nominations but it is uncertain who he will announce. parliament has spoken and the president said he will respect its decision. the western allies will make it clear they want to tackle corruption and threaten to withhold funding from any ministry run by a corrupt politician. >> rescue operations continued in brazil after heavy rains killed at least 80 people. one resort coll
and disappointing way 400 karzai. -- disappointing for karzai. his 17 rejected included a controversial former warlord who fought against the taliban. president carter signed wanted him to continue as energy minister. -- president karzai what did him to continue. he pledged to place more women in government posts in a male- dominated society. the nominations for justice, commerce, and communication also failed. among the successful reappointment or the interior minister and defense minister,...
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Jan 5, 2010
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two months aer karzai was clared winner of a presential election plagued byraud. today karzai ordered parliament to cancel its winter bak so it ve on a new list of nomine that he's now preparing. 's under pressure to show progress igoverning by january 28 wn an inrnational conference on the afghan missi convenes in lond. among the rejected nominees was inuential word lord khan and e only woman karzai had named. lawmers criticized many on the list as unqualied litical cronies. sevel holdovers in vital posts were approd. among th the defense minister and the minisr of interior. along with the ministe of finance, educati, and agriculture. i spoke to afghan ambassor today and asked him how bia setbk this was to karzai. >> imay be a temporary setback for e president but it's a step forwd for the democracy in afgnistan. it's really happy fothe parliament of afghistan to do theirob the way they are supposedo be doing. >> warner: that seems like strange reacti. a tback for the president but you think it's a good thing? >> we are buding institions. we are building ste in a
two months aer karzai was clared winner of a presential election plagued byraud. today karzai ordered parliament to cancel its winter bak so it ve on a new list of nomine that he's now preparing. 's under pressure to show progress igoverning by january 28 wn an inrnational conference on the afghan missi convenes in lond. among the rejected nominees was inuential word lord khan and e only woman karzai had named. lawmers criticized many on the list as unqualied litical cronies. sevel holdovers in...
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most turned down were viewed as cronies of karzai. a bit of controversy from five years ago is flaring up again this weekend in denmark where a man has been arrested for trying to kill an artist who drew cartoons of the prophet mohamm mohammed. sheila macvicar has more. >> reporter: carried into the courthouse on a stretcher his face covered to conceal his identity, this is the man police say tried to murder danish cartoonist kurt westergaard. the somali broke into westergaard's home last night wielding an axe and a knife and shouting he wanted to kill him. the car to bist and his five-year-old granddaughter was able to take shelter in a specially secured bathroom. when the police arrived two minutes later, the would-be killer attacked them, too. police shot him in the knee to stop him. five years another a danish newspaper commissioned a dozen cartoons depicting the prophet mohammed. kurt westergaard drewab image of the prophet with his turbin shaped as a bomb. the publication of th cartoons provoked outrage, attacks on danish embass
most turned down were viewed as cronies of karzai. a bit of controversy from five years ago is flaring up again this weekend in denmark where a man has been arrested for trying to kill an artist who drew cartoons of the prophet mohamm mohammed. sheila macvicar has more. >> reporter: carried into the courthouse on a stretcher his face covered to conceal his identity, this is the man police say tried to murder danish cartoonist kurt westergaard. the somali broke into westergaard's home last...
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out of afghanistan, there is a big political setback for president hamid karzai. parliament rejected 70% of his choices for a new cabinet, including the only woman nominated. karzai's choices were seen as a first test of his quest to build a legitimate and accountable government. many of the nominees were criticized for having been picked for reasons other than their competency. >>> back in our nation's capital here, the senate republican leader strikes an optimistic note. mitch mcconnell saying he understands why show thors might be weary of the political infighting in the nation's capital, but says disagreements are indispensable to a healthy democracy. while the u.s. faces major challenges here, the minority leader predicts better days ahead. >> two long and difficult wars, a prolonged recession, double-digit unemployment, difficult days for our nation. in this new year, we are grateful for the courageous men and women of our own day who keep a lonely watch to defend the cause of liberty. we are also painfully aware of how many americans were out of work this c
out of afghanistan, there is a big political setback for president hamid karzai. parliament rejected 70% of his choices for a new cabinet, including the only woman nominated. karzai's choices were seen as a first test of his quest to build a legitimate and accountable government. many of the nominees were criticized for having been picked for reasons other than their competency. >>> back in our nation's capital here, the senate republican leader strikes an optimistic note. mitch...
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you are stuck with a choice of karzai or the taliban, and my understanding is karzai is not encouraged, so perhaps you will have political parties that the merged -- dodi merge the represent an alternative. -- that the merged -- emerge that represent the alternative. i think the most important thing we can deliver is security, and let me give you one benchmark. the route was the most dangerous in the world for three years. you were likely to be killed if you drove down it, and the fact that it was the most dangerous in the world said everything he needed to know. i have taken the road many times it went down to about seven hours. i could drive the road without incident. anybody would say you were effectively signing your own death warrant. it would be great if it were returned to a road that could really be used, and that as a sign of real progress. that road connecting the pashtun capital to the national capital, and that is something we can deliver. >> do you mind if i asked a question. how would you describe vital interest in the afghanistan in response to what he was arguing? >> th
you are stuck with a choice of karzai or the taliban, and my understanding is karzai is not encouraged, so perhaps you will have political parties that the merged -- dodi merge the represent an alternative. -- that the merged -- emerge that represent the alternative. i think the most important thing we can deliver is security, and let me give you one benchmark. the route was the most dangerous in the world for three years. you were likely to be killed if you drove down it, and the fact that it...
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Jan 16, 2010
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we also spent 90 minutes with president karzai, and most importantly, got out towards kandahar and heli'd to the valley. let me tell you, i kept my word that if he would give soldiers the resources they need to come home safe, he would have our support. and i expressed, the night of the west point addressed. -- the night of the west point addressed, i addressed the need for withdrawal. it never makes sense on a battlefield to tell the enemy when you will stop fighting. [applause] i was pleased that the president responded to a call for reinforcements. but what i can report to you is that general mcchrystal answers to people like me, and i answer to people like you. i will report to you. they have the resources and personnel to get the job done. if they have time to do it. that is the issue. i've talked to leadership, to rank and file military. they said look, the taliban has been using july, 2011, for recruitment purposes. look, i do not mind -- michael back there, soldiers always have deadlines. but you did not publish it. that is the point. would i like soldiers to move out of afghanist
we also spent 90 minutes with president karzai, and most importantly, got out towards kandahar and heli'd to the valley. let me tell you, i kept my word that if he would give soldiers the resources they need to come home safe, he would have our support. and i expressed, the night of the west point addressed. -- the night of the west point addressed, i addressed the need for withdrawal. it never makes sense on a battlefield to tell the enemy when you will stop fighting. [applause] i was pleased...
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Jan 4, 2010
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nothing has happened to defrost his relations with president karzai. both biden and richard holbrooke have terrible relations with karzai. host: james traub is with us to talk about the influence of joe biden. republicans, 202-737-0001. democrats, 202-737-0002. independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us an e-mail or tweet us at. next phone call. caller: i think our president is doing very well. if we wanted joe biden as president, he would be president. i like the idea that our president is intelligent. he is not a puppet, like the last eight years. i think he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. host: james traub? guest: i guess i would agree, in general. he believes he could be a good president. i believe this is almost a desirable alternative. he is a very knowledgeable, bright guy. i do not think he has those qualities of character. i do not mean to say that he has no character at all that americans look to have as their president. i think obama, for all the mistakes he has made, has proved that people have a deep sense of comfort up and we d
nothing has happened to defrost his relations with president karzai. both biden and richard holbrooke have terrible relations with karzai. host: james traub is with us to talk about the influence of joe biden. republicans, 202-737-0001. democrats, 202-737-0002. independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us an e-mail or tweet us at. next phone call. caller: i think our president is doing very well. if we wanted joe biden as president, he would be president. i like the idea that our president is...
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so hamid karzai maybe corrupt or he may be a saint. it's not our association with him, telling his legitimacy in the eyes of the people, just as in pakistan. he was elected by the majority. he is now 19% approval rating. it is because of his allowing the tax. are we not going to let their institutions, their leadership, maybe we have to talk with mullah omar? >> does anyone want to take that? >> i speak to it for a second in pakistan. you're absolutely right. president's popularity, not anything to do with mr. 10% himself has gone through the roof. you will probably see the end of the zardari government. each time we have ended up pretty unhappy with the outcome. and the pakistani people have ended up pretty unhappy with the outcome. we've talked a lot about polling. and i'm skeptical about polling in illiterate societies as i think anyone is. but there is interesting polling in pakistan that says despite the fact that the country now has an anemic economy, despite the fact that the violence is unprecedented levels, the overwhelming ma
so hamid karzai maybe corrupt or he may be a saint. it's not our association with him, telling his legitimacy in the eyes of the people, just as in pakistan. he was elected by the majority. he is now 19% approval rating. it is because of his allowing the tax. are we not going to let their institutions, their leadership, maybe we have to talk with mullah omar? >> does anyone want to take that? >> i speak to it for a second in pakistan. you're absolutely right. president's popularity,...
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Jan 7, 2010
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so hamid karzai maybe corrupt or he may be a saint. it's not our association with him, telling his legitimacy in the eyes of the people, just as in pakistan. he was elected by the majority. he is now 19% approval rating. it is because of his allowing the tax. are we not going to let their institutions, their leadership, maybe we have to talk with mullah omar? >> does anyone want to take that? >> i speak to it for a second in pakistan. you're absolutely right. president's popularity, not anything to do with mr. 10% himself has gone through the roof. you will probably see the end of the zardari government. each time we have ended up pretty unhappy with the outcome. and the pakistani people have ended up pretty unhappy with the outcome. we've talked a lot about polling. and i'm skeptical about polling in illiterate societies as i think anyone is. but there is interesting polling in pakistan that says despite the fact that the country now has an anemic economy, despite the fact that the violence is unprecedented levels, the overwhelming ma
so hamid karzai maybe corrupt or he may be a saint. it's not our association with him, telling his legitimacy in the eyes of the people, just as in pakistan. he was elected by the majority. he is now 19% approval rating. it is because of his allowing the tax. are we not going to let their institutions, their leadership, maybe we have to talk with mullah omar? >> does anyone want to take that? >> i speak to it for a second in pakistan. you're absolutely right. president's popularity,...
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karzai lacks legitimacy and is unpopular in his country. this really will depend on achieving security, which i think is achievable, but governments which is a big question mark, and and with -- and with good government comes with our own money, investment for jobs, jobs, jobs. without jobs, afghanistan will not be a positive scenario in the future. but saying that, i must conclude by pointing out that this is not going to affect our domestic national security. as we see with the last three plots, the underwear, came from yemen. -- the underwear bomber came from nigeria and london. the attack on the danish cartoonist came from somalia. and hasan came from washington, d.c. thank you very much. >> peter has to leave at 11:00, so he should take the first few questions. there is a microphone in the back of the room. >> i worked some 30 years as a journalist in the united states. i retired two years ago. my question is for peter, specifically. what i hear now in this seminar in the last -- and the last few, exactly what i was hearing before the
karzai lacks legitimacy and is unpopular in his country. this really will depend on achieving security, which i think is achievable, but governments which is a big question mark, and and with -- and with good government comes with our own money, investment for jobs, jobs, jobs. without jobs, afghanistan will not be a positive scenario in the future. but saying that, i must conclude by pointing out that this is not going to affect our domestic national security. as we see with the last three...
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>> guest: president karzai has made two sets of choices. he nominated once slate of cabinet officials about 24 of them. seventeen were rejected by the parliament. the parliament in a healthy move is asserting itself. this is a good thing. have some balancing, checks and balances as we understand them. so the parliament looked at the first slate of nominees from karzai and did not like many of them. rejected them. the parliament did choose, did agree, and did confirm several of the most important cabinet choices from president karzai, minister of defence and minister of interior which handles all the police, minister of finance, minister of agriculture. one of the big recipients of assistance. so the cabinet in this area somewhat. president karzai has recently submitted a second slate to replace those that were rejected the first time. these are lesser-known people. the second slate of lesser-known people. many people have not heard. many afghans have not heard. the international community is still examining. but they may be that technocrats
>> guest: president karzai has made two sets of choices. he nominated once slate of cabinet officials about 24 of them. seventeen were rejected by the parliament. the parliament in a healthy move is asserting itself. this is a good thing. have some balancing, checks and balances as we understand them. so the parliament looked at the first slate of nominees from karzai and did not like many of them. rejected them. the parliament did choose, did agree, and did confirm several of the most...
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international body met to name an interim government in afganistan to be led by its interim president hamid karzai. despite the early success al qaeda's leadership was able to find a safe haven in pakistan's tribal areas. a few years later it gained enough strength to once again pose a serious threat to the u.s. meanwhile the taliban reestablished its headquarters in pakistan and gained enough strength as a result of inadequate afghanistan security forces. by last year the situation had grown so pa perilous that generl stanley mcchrystal issued a report stating that our failure to gain the initiative and reverse the momentum of the taliban within 12 months to make defeating the insurgency impossible. it was largely as a result of that assessment that the president agreed last year to send 30,000 more troops to afganistan. earlier this month i and some of my colleagues had the opportunity to visit afganistan and pakistan to assess the situation on the ground firsthand. among other things, we saw progress in the crucial southern provinces of kandahar. though in the early phases general crystal's --
international body met to name an interim government in afganistan to be led by its interim president hamid karzai. despite the early success al qaeda's leadership was able to find a safe haven in pakistan's tribal areas. a few years later it gained enough strength to once again pose a serious threat to the u.s. meanwhile the taliban reestablished its headquarters in pakistan and gained enough strength as a result of inadequate afghanistan security forces. by last year the situation had grown...
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. >>> the afghan parliament has overwhelmingly rejected the new cabinet of president hamid karzai. 17 of 24 nominations were rejected by afghan lawmakers. the vote is a serious setback for karzai, coming on the heels of his controversial re-election as president. >>> somehow, some way, a suicide bomber managed to slip onto a u.s. base in afghanistan without being searched, killing seven cia officers. now a terror group is taking credit for wednesday's attack, praising a possible double agent. cnn's atea bowie is in kabul with the very latest. >> reporter: the question that remains is just how a suicide bomber was able to make it onto an american base in eastern afghanistan, detonate his vest and kill seven cia agents. american officials here in afghanistan still are not talking about just how he was able to do that. the taliban claiming that he was actually an afghan soldier, a soldier that they were able to convince to switch allegiances rather than fighting with the u.s. forces, fighting against the u.s. forces. and the taliban claimed that they will continue to infiltrate the afgha
. >>> the afghan parliament has overwhelmingly rejected the new cabinet of president hamid karzai. 17 of 24 nominations were rejected by afghan lawmakers. the vote is a serious setback for karzai, coming on the heels of his controversial re-election as president. >>> somehow, some way, a suicide bomber managed to slip onto a u.s. base in afghanistan without being searched, killing seven cia officers. now a terror group is taking credit for wednesday's attack, praising a...
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Jan 26, 2010
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. >> is there a sense that his concerns about president karzai are any different today? that anything has changed since -- >> again, i don't want to get into discussing those cables. i would simply say that at the conclusion of the election, the president had -- president obama had a conversation with president karzai. i think you heard the president speak clearly at west point and since then about the need to take governance seriously. that there was not an open-ended blank check for waste and abuse going forward in afghanistan. and the president and his team, and particularly ambassador eikenberry would be paying close attention. >> understanding your refusal to increase operations -- or to move to north waziristan to the north for a year and that was pretty clear on that strategy that there be something on that side of the border going on. >> let me see what i can get from d.o.d. for you. >> back to the state of the union. ask about the tone, are we going to see the president chastened by massachusetts or of the any developments of the past year? are we seeing a feist
. >> is there a sense that his concerns about president karzai are any different today? that anything has changed since -- >> again, i don't want to get into discussing those cables. i would simply say that at the conclusion of the election, the president had -- president obama had a conversation with president karzai. i think you heard the president speak clearly at west point and since then about the need to take governance seriously. that there was not an open-ended blank check...
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Jan 5, 2010
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nothing has happened to defrost his relations with president karzai. both biden and richard holbrooke have terrible relations with karzai. host: james traub is with us to talk about the influence of joe biden. republicans, 202-737-0001. democrats, 202-737-0002. independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us an e-mail or tweet us at . next phone call. caller: i think our president is doing very well. if we wanted joe biden as president, he would be president. i like the idea that our president is intelligent. he is not a puppet, like the last eight years. i think he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. host: james traub? guest: i guess i would agree in general. he believes he could be a good president. i believe this is almost a desirable alternative. he is a very knowledgeable bright guy. i do not think he has those qualities of character. i do not mean to say that he has no character at all that americans look to have as their president. i think obama for all the mistakes he has made, has proved that people have a deep sense of comfort up and we did
nothing has happened to defrost his relations with president karzai. both biden and richard holbrooke have terrible relations with karzai. host: james traub is with us to talk about the influence of joe biden. republicans, 202-737-0001. democrats, 202-737-0002. independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us an e-mail or tweet us at . next phone call. caller: i think our president is doing very well. if we wanted joe biden as president, he would be president. i like the idea that our president is...
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Jan 2, 2010
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look at afghanistan with karzai, sure we support the united states, you are not going against supporting the united states. but back room deal. >> yemen is trying to get rid . >> president obama sanctioned the air strike specifically against alaki who is the iman who is tied to the fort hood shooter and abdullmuttallab . he managed to survive the air strike before christmas. >> and the president wrapped up counter terrorism against yemen and spent 67 million last year alone. five million in 2006 . it is ramped up the president is serious about that and airport security. we are finding out that the pat downs, one of the second screening efforts are effectism. you have an underwear bomber, how in the world is a pat down going to catch something. >> how is it that they are doing it? >> it wouldn't matter in i demonstrate you. >> do i have to do this? >> you cannot board the plane. >> this is all they do. they do the side touching and quick side touch that's it. >> that's it. >> and if the underwear bomber had stuff hidden where -- >> you're dangerous. the point is they are so politically co
look at afghanistan with karzai, sure we support the united states, you are not going against supporting the united states. but back room deal. >> yemen is trying to get rid . >> president obama sanctioned the air strike specifically against alaki who is the iman who is tied to the fort hood shooter and abdullmuttallab . he managed to survive the air strike before christmas. >> and the president wrapped up counter terrorism against yemen and spent 67 million last year alone....
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Jan 9, 2010
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president karzai mentioned his intention to hold them. indeed, i think that there are a number of things that need to be put in place beyond the district boundaries. if we have a better understanding of the size of the population, it is something that should also be done, the mandate as to why they should be adopted way ahead of time so that the provincial elections -- their mandate was adopted after the nomination. i think you need some preparations on the question -- preparations. on the question of the 2005 elections, located where the parliamentary candidates were there for a number of weeks, there was a lot of interest, a lot of debate about the 2005 elections. like most politicians, they are quite competitive and eager to win. i don't think the u.n. had any of illusion that these elections are going to be easy. certainly, the elections in 2005 raised a number of problems. again, remember, these were the first afghan elections. they are still testing what will work for them. every election has had some fundamental changes in terms of
president karzai mentioned his intention to hold them. indeed, i think that there are a number of things that need to be put in place beyond the district boundaries. if we have a better understanding of the size of the population, it is something that should also be done, the mandate as to why they should be adopted way ahead of time so that the provincial elections -- their mandate was adopted after the nomination. i think you need some preparations on the question -- preparations. on the...
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Jan 7, 2010
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that was discussed at length with president karzai and with his cabinet on numerous occasions, notably with the trip that hillary clinton and i had made to afghanistan on october 18 and 19 in conjunction with the inauguration. the afghans understood this, they are very comfortable with it. so i need to underscore that's what july 2011 means. not a withdraw, but the start of a responsibility transition in which american combat troops will begin to draw down. on the second question and in regard to pakistan, i'm not sure quite how you phrase it. strobe, you made a generic comment? >> mike hamlin and his colleagues have put together a set of bench marks on sort of how things are going. and the trend that they feel they have identified in pakistan is ominous, negative by comparison with a year ago. >> yeah. i read mike's monthly, it's quarterly, actually, isn't it? i read mike's quarterly table with great interest. and it helped -- influenced me a lot as we tried to develop our own benchmarks. but i think we have to be very careful about two things. maybe three things. one, let's not confu
that was discussed at length with president karzai and with his cabinet on numerous occasions, notably with the trip that hillary clinton and i had made to afghanistan on october 18 and 19 in conjunction with the inauguration. the afghans understood this, they are very comfortable with it. so i need to underscore that's what july 2011 means. not a withdraw, but the start of a responsibility transition in which american combat troops will begin to draw down. on the second question and in regard...
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karzai is a passion. do you have confidence in the government, do you have concerns? >> guest: i have confidence and concerns just as i did in iraq. we have to understand the huge challenges the leaders in both of these countries face literally just in staying alive. i got to know hamid karzai when i first got to afghanistan at the beginning of 2002 when he had only been in office a few weeks himself. eight years later he's still in office facing extraordinarily challenges. and there are clearly a lot of problems and things he has to work on and things we have to do in support of him but i had the opportunity to get to know him personally and whatever hat he may be wearing at the moment one thing i absolutely persuaded is he is an afghan national list. >> host: next on call river hit new york on the republican line. >> caller: ambassador, good morning and thank you for taking my call. i had the recent experience the third person i talked to who came from iraq mentioned to me they came from mesopotamia and blamed england for and they didn't their animosity towards us f
karzai is a passion. do you have confidence in the government, do you have concerns? >> guest: i have confidence and concerns just as i did in iraq. we have to understand the huge challenges the leaders in both of these countries face literally just in staying alive. i got to know hamid karzai when i first got to afghanistan at the beginning of 2002 when he had only been in office a few weeks himself. eight years later he's still in office facing extraordinarily challenges. and there are...
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Jan 25, 2010
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president hamid karzai said he wants to let militants lay down their weapons and go home, so long as they are not affiliated with al qaeda. karzai spoke in istanbul, turkey, three days before an international conference on afghanistan in london. he said gathering international support was key. >> in the past, this effort by the afghan government did not have the backing or the support of our international partners. this current effort, this renewed effort, i should say, has the backing of our partners, in particular the united states and europe. >> sreenivasan: at the same time, the nato commander in afghanistan said he hopes an influx of troops will force taliban leaders to accept peace. general stanley mcchrystal suggested former taliban could even join the government. he said, "i think any afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past." also today, nato officials announced two more soldiers-- one british, one norwegian-- have been killed in bombings in afghanistan. the u.s. military will speed up a review of more than 4,300 iraq and afghanistan veterans. th
president hamid karzai said he wants to let militants lay down their weapons and go home, so long as they are not affiliated with al qaeda. karzai spoke in istanbul, turkey, three days before an international conference on afghanistan in london. he said gathering international support was key. >> in the past, this effort by the afghan government did not have the backing or the support of our international partners. this current effort, this renewed effort, i should say, has the backing of...
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nothing has happened to defrost his relations with president karzai. both biden and richard holbrooke have terrible relations with karzai. host: james traub is with us to talk about the influence of joe biden. republicans, 202-737-0001. democrats, 202-737-0002. independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us an e-mail or tweet us at. next phone call. caller: i think our president is doing very well. if we wanted joe biden as president, he would be president. i like the idea that our president is intelligent. he is not a puppet, like the last eight years. i think he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. host: james traub? guest: i guess i would agree, in general. he believes he could be a good president. i believe this is almost a desirable alternative. he is a very knowledgeable, bright guy. i do not think he has those qualities of character. i do not mean to say that he has no character at all that americans look to have as their president. i think obama, for all the mistakes he has made, has proved that people have a deep sense of comfort up and we d
nothing has happened to defrost his relations with president karzai. both biden and richard holbrooke have terrible relations with karzai. host: james traub is with us to talk about the influence of joe biden. republicans, 202-737-0001. democrats, 202-737-0002. independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us an e-mail or tweet us at. next phone call. caller: i think our president is doing very well. if we wanted joe biden as president, he would be president. i like the idea that our president is...
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Jan 10, 2010
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karzai lacks legitimacy. this really will depend on achieving security, which i think is achievable, good governance, which is a big question mark, and with good governance comes with our own money, investment for jobs, jobs, jobs. without that, afghanistan will not be a positive scenario in the future. but saying that, i must conclude by pointing out that this is not going to affect our domestic national security. with the last three plots, the underwear bomber came from yemen -- well started in yemen, it came from nigeria and london. the attack on the danish cartoonist came from somalia. and major hassan came from washington, d.c. thank you very much. >> peter has to leave at 11:00, so he should take the first few questions. there's a microphone in the back of the room. anyone who would like to ask a question. >> i have worked as a journalist and research in the united states, and our retired two years ago. what i hear now in this seminar and the last few, exactly what i was hearing before the iraq war. and
karzai lacks legitimacy. this really will depend on achieving security, which i think is achievable, good governance, which is a big question mark, and with good governance comes with our own money, investment for jobs, jobs, jobs. without that, afghanistan will not be a positive scenario in the future. but saying that, i must conclude by pointing out that this is not going to affect our domestic national security. with the last three plots, the underwear bomber came from yemen -- well started...
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Jan 26, 2010
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our conference on afghanistan, the london conference will be attended by president karzai the u.n. secretary general vana and 60 nations will be represented. we will be announcing new figures for nato forces and for afghan forces in the time to come. and we will be focusing on how the political and civilian surge that we plan in afghanistan can match and complement the military service that is taking place. on wednesday, the day before the first international meeting will be held to agree how we can strengthen support for yemen in its efforts against al qaeda and how we can help the government of yemen with the development and governance. as i said last week in a common statement i made on security, we know that there are terrorist groups with plans to hinchliffe damage on our country and we are always on alert. we will be vigilant against those who seek to destroy and undermine our democracy and our way of life. let me add one thing also at this morning. i sent my condolences to president harari and prime minister mellis after the crash of the ethiopian airways flight on the coast
our conference on afghanistan, the london conference will be attended by president karzai the u.n. secretary general vana and 60 nations will be represented. we will be announcing new figures for nato forces and for afghan forces in the time to come. and we will be focusing on how the political and civilian surge that we plan in afghanistan can match and complement the military service that is taking place. on wednesday, the day before the first international meeting will be held to agree how...
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karzai said he will make new nominations, it's unclear when. in another high stakes political issue the chief of afghanistan as election commission says a parliamentary vote will be held in may despite widespread international concerns. north carolina is going smoke free. effective today the leading tobacco producing state is banning in restaurants and bars and relative late comers in the tobacco ban. becoming 29th ban in restaurants and 24th for bars. any smoker or establishment that refuses to obey the law will face stiff fines. that's are the latest stories, back to you. >> shannon: thank you, caroline. national association of is your ban hospitals are calling on members of to rethink regulations, especially cutting medicare payments. molly henneberg takes a look how tt affect hospitals treating low income patients. >> at howard university hospital in washington d.c., also a level one trauma center, about 20% of patients walk in the door uninsured. although many may ultimately qualify for medicaid, leaving the hospital stuck with much of the
karzai said he will make new nominations, it's unclear when. in another high stakes political issue the chief of afghanistan as election commission says a parliamentary vote will be held in may despite widespread international concerns. north carolina is going smoke free. effective today the leading tobacco producing state is banning in restaurants and bars and relative late comers in the tobacco ban. becoming 29th ban in restaurants and 24th for bars. any smoker or establishment that refuses...
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Jan 4, 2010
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while karzai had to survive while he was being neglected, he is a pashtun. however, he is a peaceful one. his father was a parliamentarian. he himself is not pocketing money, or whatever. host: we're going to let it go there and let john newman reply. guest: i know we are short on time. it is crucial and my son talked to me about all the time how important it is, and the soldiers know that, to treat the local population while group a lot of their medics were training kids from the -- were treating kids from the village who were being hurt by the mortars from the taliban who could not shoot them very well. and we are expanding considerably the civilian effort t. host: how does that compare with vietnam? guest: we suffered in the early years of the war for not having paid attention to that. host: jon newman teaches courses in soviet, chinese, and east asian history. this is his book. you can try to track and online. thanks for being with us this morning. that will about do it for washed -- for "washington journal" this morning. we will be back at 7:00 a.m. eas
while karzai had to survive while he was being neglected, he is a pashtun. however, he is a peaceful one. his father was a parliamentarian. he himself is not pocketing money, or whatever. host: we're going to let it go there and let john newman reply. guest: i know we are short on time. it is crucial and my son talked to me about all the time how important it is, and the soldiers know that, to treat the local population while group a lot of their medics were training kids from the -- were...
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Jan 27, 2010
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. -- karzai. there is a distinction between the foot soldier and the leaders who gave a safe hache to osama bin laden and al qaeda from which they launched attacks on this country on 9/11. so he sees the distinction. i don't think it should be lost on you. i think we can look at think with some subtlety between these two. and go after the foot soldiers and try to win them over. and ultimately figure out what to do with the hierarchy as we go up the ladder. now, omar is probably the extreme, the foot soldiers are the other extreme. question is what happens to the others? can they be won over? can they become a part of the political fabric that gates spoke of? and that's i think what we are all trying to figure out. i don't know that we have an answer yet. >> at what point does the 30,000 new troops, the department set up to begin accepting converts, from the taliban, reconciliation sectors, like south america. >> it's not an issue for the department. this is an issue for the government of afghanist
. -- karzai. there is a distinction between the foot soldier and the leaders who gave a safe hache to osama bin laden and al qaeda from which they launched attacks on this country on 9/11. so he sees the distinction. i don't think it should be lost on you. i think we can look at think with some subtlety between these two. and go after the foot soldiers and try to win them over. and ultimately figure out what to do with the hierarchy as we go up the ladder. now, omar is probably the extreme, the...
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america stuck karzai in there. then bin lad an was fighting russia and afghanistan for america. that's what drove him to be anti-american. >> more there from houston. dorothy on the republican line. >> my question is, it's wonderful we go over and help all of these countries with the issues they have. we obviously have the power and the financial able >> yemen presents a unique sense of challenges. there are a lot of countries like yemen around the world. places where we see central government authority slowly receding and weakening. if it is terrorism or drug smulling, the international community needs to see how to figure out more and more all of this crisis. >> our guest has been an associate with the middle east program. thank you for the update on yemen this morning. >> take another short break and we'll turn to the topic of mental health in america more of your calls. we'll be right back. >> top prize, $5,000. create a 5-8 minute video about our country's strength. it musten corporate c-span programming. enter before midnight january 20. don't wait another minute. go to st
america stuck karzai in there. then bin lad an was fighting russia and afghanistan for america. that's what drove him to be anti-american. >> more there from houston. dorothy on the republican line. >> my question is, it's wonderful we go over and help all of these countries with the issues they have. we obviously have the power and the financial able >> yemen presents a unique sense of challenges. there are a lot of countries like yemen around the world. places where we see...
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. >> sreenivasan: merkel met with afghan president hamid karzai, on the eve of an international conference on afghanistan in london. in afghanistan, 11 suspected taliban militants were killed in an air and ground strike by nato and afghan forces. former honduran president manuel zelaya went back into exile today-- this time, in the dominican republic. the leftist leader was ousted in a coup last june, but he returned to honduras in september and holed up in the brazilian embassy. his departure today came hours after the new honduran president -- porfirio lobo-- was sworn into office. authorities in peru today worked to rescue hundreds of tourists stranded at machu picchu. the ruins of the incan citadel are world renowned. at least five people have been killed after five days of heavy rain triggered mudslides and widespread flooding across the area, in the andes mountains. . in all, some 2000 people were trapped, including 400 americans. u.s. officials deployed helicopters to help with evacuations. those are some of the day's main stories. i'll be back at the end of the program with a previ
. >> sreenivasan: merkel met with afghan president hamid karzai, on the eve of an international conference on afghanistan in london. in afghanistan, 11 suspected taliban militants were killed in an air and ground strike by nato and afghan forces. former honduran president manuel zelaya went back into exile today-- this time, in the dominican republic. the leftist leader was ousted in a coup last june, but he returned to honduras in september and holed up in the brazilian embassy. his...
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Jan 8, 2010
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it was certainly -- as we went to the conflicts or the debate about fried and abdulla purses karzai --is will this take on an ethnic tone. there were rumors that some are unhappy and are preparing to protest and did things to not go their way with their candidates and so on -- i do not know how realistic those are. in the end, there was not any major incident. i did not feel being there that there was any point that was about to go off our was narrowly averted. mike and digital compression is that -- my anecdotal impression is that they are not ethnic divisions that came out of the public debate. i think it is a very positive sign. in terms of political management, it is minimal in terms of the ecc's operation. there is tremendous support and the international community in terms of our profits and the decisions. we throughout were processed base. following our procedures and applying equal criteria to all complaint was our number one goal. i think that the acceptance of our findings closely reflect that people did recognize we were acting according to the law and according to procedur
it was certainly -- as we went to the conflicts or the debate about fried and abdulla purses karzai --is will this take on an ethnic tone. there were rumors that some are unhappy and are preparing to protest and did things to not go their way with their candidates and so on -- i do not know how realistic those are. in the end, there was not any major incident. i did not feel being there that there was any point that was about to go off our was narrowly averted. mike and digital compression is...
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the first part of the question was -- >> the karzai government -- >> i think again this is one that is also better directed to the state department i think it is probably a sign of some progress house odd as that may sound that there is a healthy give-and-take between the branches of government and in a space afghanistan where the parliament, the legislature is saying we are not going to necessarily rubber-stamp the president's cabinet choices. we have checks and balances here, the congress has to confirm every cabinet selection here and a similar thing is going on there. with that said we have a process as quickly as possible because the government in afghanistan is something that needs to improve quickly and the longer there is limbo the more difficult that becomes. yes, go ahead. >> [inaudible] -- about to happen in yemen and the u.s. but already some of the top leaders pushed back of the exact level of taking from the u.s. and and and -- does that told the u.s. caused with operations to help identify [inaudible] >> i haven't seen the comments which you refer. i've seen other commen
the first part of the question was -- >> the karzai government -- >> i think again this is one that is also better directed to the state department i think it is probably a sign of some progress house odd as that may sound that there is a healthy give-and-take between the branches of government and in a space afghanistan where the parliament, the legislature is saying we are not going to necessarily rubber-stamp the president's cabinet choices. we have checks and balances here, the...
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they talk about their fraud investigation and eventual victory by hamid karzai. they discuss the presidential elections for this may. it was held at the u.s. institute of peace in washington, d.c. >> good morning, everyone. we can proceed. thank everyone for coming. my name is john dempsey with the u.s. institute of peace, based in afghanistan. i have the privilege of actually being here in washington this week for this, our first public event on afghanistan of 2010. i'm so happy we have such a good turnout, i recognize some faces here, see a lot of people i haven't seen around before and i look forward to a frank discussion with our distinguished panelist today on a subject that clearly has been getting a lot of attention over the last year, given what we saw in the difficult election season in afghanistan last year but that also has not yet gone away. i think once we got through the difficult process of the elections last year, people were breathing a collective sigh of relief that we moved on and could actually get on with governance and moving toward with str
they talk about their fraud investigation and eventual victory by hamid karzai. they discuss the presidential elections for this may. it was held at the u.s. institute of peace in washington, d.c. >> good morning, everyone. we can proceed. thank everyone for coming. my name is john dempsey with the u.s. institute of peace, based in afghanistan. i have the privilege of actually being here in washington this week for this, our first public event on afghanistan of 2010. i'm so happy we have...
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the conference on afghanistan will be attended by president karzai, u.n. secretary-general ban, 60 nations being represented. we will announce new figures for nato forces and for afghan forces in the time to come. we will be focusing on how the political and civilian search we plan for afghanistan can match and complement that surge taking place. on wednesday the first international meeting will be held to agree how to strengthen support for yemen in its efforts against al qaeda, and how to help its government with development and governance. as i said last week in the segment on security we know that there are terrorist groups with plans to inflict damage on our country, and we are always on alert. we will be vigilant against them. let me add one thing also this morning. i sent my condolences to the president and prime minister after the crash of the ethiopian airways flight. we're working urgently to establish whether any of our citizens were on board. this morning i want to say something about the economy and the next stages for britain. i am confident
the conference on afghanistan will be attended by president karzai, u.n. secretary-general ban, 60 nations being represented. we will announce new figures for nato forces and for afghan forces in the time to come. we will be focusing on how the political and civilian search we plan for afghanistan can match and complement that surge taking place. on wednesday the first international meeting will be held to agree how to strengthen support for yemen in its efforts against al qaeda, and how to...
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. >> president karzai is headed to the afghan conference in london this week, and he is saying that he is when asked for that names of some taliban people to be taken off the u.n. sanctions list in return for them laying down their arms and countenancing talks. is this something the white house would be prepared to look at? >> i would simply say that you have heard general petreaus, added his efforts in iraq, discuss similar type efforts in afghanistan at political reconciliation. you have heard general mcchrystal discuss the same thing. so obviously a similar path to what happened in a rack each of those two individuals have talked through. again, provided that whoever this is accepts the afghan constitution, renounces violence, and publicly breaks with groups that advocate violence. that is what people except -- expect under the notion of reconciliation. >> first on afghanistan as well. last week the u.n. put out a report saying that the amount of graft and kickbacks in afghanistan is about $2.3 billion a year, about 25% of their gross domestic product. who in the administration is r
. >> president karzai is headed to the afghan conference in london this week, and he is saying that he is when asked for that names of some taliban people to be taken off the u.n. sanctions list in return for them laying down their arms and countenancing talks. is this something the white house would be prepared to look at? >> i would simply say that you have heard general petreaus, added his efforts in iraq, discuss similar type efforts in afghanistan at political reconciliation....
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Jan 26, 2010
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our conference on afghanistan, the london conference, will be attended by president karzai, the u.n. secretary-general, 60 nations will be represented. we will be announcing new figures for nato forces and for afghan forces in the time to come. we will be focusing on how the political and civilian surge we plan in afghanistan can match and complement the military surge that is taking place. on wednesday, the day before, the first international meeting will be held to agree how we can strengthen support for yemen in its efforts against al qaeda and how we can help the government of yemen with development and governance. as i said last week in the commons statement i made on security, we note that there are terrorist groups with plans to inflict damage on our country and we are always on alert. we will be vigilant against those who seek to destroy and undermine our democracy and our way of life. let me add one thing also this morning. i sent my condolences to president hariri and the prime minister after the crash of the ethiopian airways flight off the coast of lebanon. we are working
our conference on afghanistan, the london conference, will be attended by president karzai, the u.n. secretary-general, 60 nations will be represented. we will be announcing new figures for nato forces and for afghan forces in the time to come. we will be focusing on how the political and civilian surge we plan in afghanistan can match and complement the military surge that is taking place. on wednesday, the day before, the first international meeting will be held to agree how we can strengthen...
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we are now watching closely as the karzai yet patrician and parliament put together the key ministers of the national government. we are going to continue our efforts in afghanistan but we also recognize, as the president outlined, we need to continue to move as rapidly as possible because clearly we want as i am sure the afghan people want to be able to see this transition where functions that may well be done today by the national community that we are building up the capacity for the government to be able to assume these responsibilities over the next couple of years. >> i have a question about a related country, and i would be human. haleh tomb are you to be anti-american, anti-western or antiforeign sentiment in yemen and do you have any concerns that those feelings would hinder or hurt your attempt to to help the yemenis government? >> well, i think we continue to look for ways in which we can support the yemeni government on military bases, civilian basis and economic basis and we are encouraged by the recent comments by the president that he is determined himeno will stand up
we are now watching closely as the karzai yet patrician and parliament put together the key ministers of the national government. we are going to continue our efforts in afghanistan but we also recognize, as the president outlined, we need to continue to move as rapidly as possible because clearly we want as i am sure the afghan people want to be able to see this transition where functions that may well be done today by the national community that we are building up the capacity for the...
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i got to know karzai what a first arrived in afghanistan in 2002 when he had only been in office for a few weeks. eight years later he is still in office facing extraordinarily y challenges. there clearly are a lot of problems. i got to know him personally. but never had he might be wearing at the moment, one thing i am persuaded of is that he is an afghan nationalists. host: next phone call riverhead, new york. caller: ambassador, good morning. i had the recent experience that the third person i talked to came from iraq mentioned it to me that the came from mesopotamia and blamed england for forming a country. they did not bear animosity towards us for coming over there, but felt the only way their country could survived between the different factions was to have a dictatorship. i was wondering if you had experience with any of those ideas? guest: there are as many ideas in iraq about the direction of governance as you might find it in this country. borders throughout the region are artificial in many cases. those borders really have not changed over the decades. iraqis and irania
i got to know karzai what a first arrived in afghanistan in 2002 when he had only been in office for a few weeks. eight years later he is still in office facing extraordinarily y challenges. there clearly are a lot of problems. i got to know him personally. but never had he might be wearing at the moment, one thing i am persuaded of is that he is an afghan nationalists. host: next phone call riverhead, new york. caller: ambassador, good morning. i had the recent experience that the third person...
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is that smart to target drug dealers because karzai's brother is purporpted to be on the drug trade. is he on the target list? if not, what distinguishes him from one of the dealers who is? so a lot of interesting questions are posed and i think it's right to wonder why a program of assassination conducted in their name, people who don't feel like they have the right to find out about that. host: where did you get your information from? guest: various places. a lot from reporting done by other media. everything has been written about this as well as talking to intelligence, present and former senior intelligence officers. the ranking member of the intelligence committee, he got on our national security blog and commented on this. we put the question up, what do you know about this program? so various sources. think tank people, counter terrorism experts, both here and overseas. host: what was the reaction when you asked the question about the program and trying to learn more about it? guest: i think a lot of people thought it's a good idea to -- i'll tell you what i know because i th
is that smart to target drug dealers because karzai's brother is purporpted to be on the drug trade. is he on the target list? if not, what distinguishes him from one of the dealers who is? so a lot of interesting questions are posed and i think it's right to wonder why a program of assassination conducted in their name, people who don't feel like they have the right to find out about that. host: where did you get your information from? guest: various places. a lot from reporting done by other...
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this weekend "new york times," a list of reuben writing in a clear signal the president karzai can't count on parliaments report. most of his nominees expressed discontent with the candidates competence. the "new york times" says 17 were rejected and 17 approved. all but one are currently cabinet ministers the president's office had no comment on friday. they said the news conference would be held today. the effect where is difficult to predict it's he'll try to make recess appointments once the parliament leads for the winter break but there's a deep divide between the president and parliament and could leave a number of ministry as drift under deputy ministers that lack political power. this morning from the "new york times". ellen from sunnyville new york. is yemen the new front on terrorism? caller: absolutely. this president and e reck holder don't get it. they're going into more, al qaeda is going into regions where they understand this president won't do anything to the countries that don't have the capabilities we have and nobody is talking about the fact that this animal, ac
this weekend "new york times," a list of reuben writing in a clear signal the president karzai can't count on parliaments report. most of his nominees expressed discontent with the candidates competence. the "new york times" says 17 were rejected and 17 approved. all but one are currently cabinet ministers the president's office had no comment on friday. they said the news conference would be held today. the effect where is difficult to predict it's he'll try to make recess...
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and then president karzai really threw cold water on things when he said that afghanistan would not be able to provide for its own security for 15 to 20 years let alone 18 months. so the question is this, when july, 2011 rolls around, will we be at the beginning of the troop withdrawal or just in the middle of it? will we be standing on the cliff or going down the ramp? and will we be at the inflection or point of no return in an open-ended war. the american people and our troops deserve a solid plan. we have the right to know exactly what we're getting into before we start spending billions of dollars more and more and more of our troops' blood. that's why congress must ask the administration some tough questions and demand better answers. you know that's our responsibility, that's our job. especially before we authorize another dime for this foreign occupation. we must make sure that the next appropriation has a much better balance between military and civilian need, a balance that will be considerbly better than the last appropriation. we must make sure it includes sufficient funds
and then president karzai really threw cold water on things when he said that afghanistan would not be able to provide for its own security for 15 to 20 years let alone 18 months. so the question is this, when july, 2011 rolls around, will we be at the beginning of the troop withdrawal or just in the middle of it? will we be standing on the cliff or going down the ramp? and will we be at the inflection or point of no return in an open-ended war. the american people and our troops deserve a...